The Distinguished Gentleman

            “Am I going to be able to compete, that is my biggest fear,” this is something that you would never imagine going through the head of Dave Bing. In our class, Dave Bing discussed the moments in his life where he doubted if he had the wherewithal to achieve greatness. This is from a man who is a NCAA All American, NBA Hall of Famer, and C.E.O. of Bing Group which currently has a yearly revenue of $600 million.             Dave Bing discussed to our class the three things that is needed to become a successful entrepreneur.  Access to capital, it is crucial to make sure that the you have a enough capital to sustain your business. Mr. Bing reiterated that when he started Bing Steel, he did not make a profit for the first six months and had to dip into his daughters retirement fund.                         A solid business plan, make sure that the business plan is solid and looks professional. Dave Bing worked as a bank manager, a mortgage banker, car dealership, and steel plant during his NBA career. This was unusual to most NBA stars, but he told us that he knew he would not be a ball player forever, and needed something to do when his career was over. He honed his business skills with these summer jobs and they ultimately gave him the skills to break away and start his own business.             Surround yourself with good people, this was one of the most important of the three. He made sure that he surrounded himself with a wide range of talented people who shared his values. In business, you are only as good as your worst employee.             The most impressive thing about Dave Bing is not the sports accolades, his steel business, or his real estate developments, it is the way people talk about the class and leadership that he exerts. He was able to ignore all of the negative in his life and excel as a man.